Farnborough Owners Invest In Structures, Sustainability and People

Farnborough Airport’s private owners Macquarie have relentlessly invested in the London-area gateway since the Australian group acquired it in 2019. The opening of the new Domus III, four-bay hangar complex in 2024 is the most visible proof of this commitment, increasing available hangar space by 70% to a total of 415,000 square feet.

Space apart, the new structure, which cost around $70 million to build, also reflects the company’s strong commitment to meeting its ambitious net zero carbon targets, with features such as automatic daylight dimming of lights, translucent doors to maximize natural light, energy-efficient heating, and a system that “harvests” rainwater. These innovations include 4,000 solar panels installed on the hangar roofs by UK specialist Solivus and electric ground vehicles.

Maintenance, repair and overhaul bandwidth has also been boosted with the opening last July of Bombardier’s new line maintenance station, complimenting the airframer’s service center at London Biggin Hill Airport. This facility sits alongside existing service centers operated by rival OEMs Gulfstream and Dassault.

Macquarie’s investments have continued to lure other companies to the expansive business aviation enclace, with Flexjet having picked Farnborough for its European Tactical Control Center. There are now more than 50 companies based at the 117-year-old airfield, and 76 aircraft call it home, alongside the distinctive 52,000-sq-ft terminal building.

All of those factors apart, Farnborough trades on its location close to major freeways connecting the UK capital with affluent areas to the south and west. At least as important is the complete absence of commercial airline traffic ensuring that business aircraft operators’ needs are put first within the fixed operating hours of 7 a.m to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at weekends.

Recognizing that the skills and attitudes of its people are every bit as important ingredients in the airport’s secret sauce, Farnborough has made a strong commitment to recruiting and training local staff, with more than 400 people now on its books (not including those employed by other service providers). Over 80% of staff reside within a 10-mile radius and the airport has forged partnerships with the local Farnborough College to support training in aviation specific skills including ground operations and maintenance.